At His feet…

Verse:

And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he (Jesus) was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.  Luke 7:37-38

Personal Thought: 

A woman, who was known as a sinner, walks into the house of a Pharisee.  She was uninvited and most likely unwelcome.  Yet she humbly comes in with an alabaster jar of perfume and begins to weep at Jesus’ feet and anoint them.  The courage it must have taken for her to show face in spite of what the others would think of her.  It’s obvious she was not there for anyone’s acceptance, except Jesus.  

In Ruthless Trust, by Brennan Manning, he writes:

The great weakness in the North American church at large, and certainly in my life, is our refusal to accept our brokenness.  We hide it, evade it, gloss over it.  We grab for the cosmetic kit and put on our virtuous face to make ourselves admirable to the public.  Thus, we present to others the self that is spiritually together, superficially happy, and lacquered with a sense of self-deprecating humor that passes for humility.  The irony is that while I do want anyone to know that I am judgmental, lazy, vulnerable, screwed up, and afraid, for fear of losing face, the face I fear losing is the mask of the imposter, not my own! 

Sometimes it's hard to show up and be vulnerable before others for fear of what they might think.  The easier path is to ignore it, run from it, or hid from it. However evading it only keeps us from coming to Jesus feet and the blessing of His acceptance of our “true” self.  

Prayer:

Dear Lord, praise You Father for accepting us just as we are, in our vulnerability, weakness, and failures.  Lord I pray for the courage to come humbly to Your feet, without the masks or without the fears of what others may think.  I pray for the courage not to seek the approval of others, but to seek Your approval and acceptance in all areas of life; the wisdom to say nothing when my insecurity arises and I become defensive, and to speak up when I should without concern that others might think I’m arrogant; for the humility in Your strength, not pride in human weakness; the pride that either over promotes ourselves or the self-degrading pride that tears ourselves down.  I pray we honestly put our true self before You accepting our brokenness, and trust You each day for love and acceptance.  In Jesus Name, I pray Amen.